No, I don’t mean “eat cabbage soup for two weeks and shit out several pounds” or diet pills.
More so, what are the best tricks you’ve learned to help you stick to weight loss goals?
For example, the best hot tea or tastiest sparkling water to distract from a craving.
Favorite fancy notebook for logging meals.
Etc.
I’ll go first — I have a big nalgene of cold water. I add to it one packet of true lime and one packet of stur hydration fruit punch electrolytes. Tasty. Less than 5 calories. Hydrating. In my opinion, healthy.
Let’s see some of yours!
Like a lot of things in life, weight loss is something you have to do for yourself. I want to look good. I want to feel good. I remind myself of the things I want more than a quick bite of junk food. There is no going back in life. I’ve wasted a lot of years abusing my body and lacking confidence. Simply put, “I’m counting on me.” That has kept me going.
My secret weapon for success has been getting into the proper headspace. I realized that the why matters just as much, if not more, than the how. I think we can get a little too caught in the weeds on keto vs low carb, 16:8 OMAD ADF CICO, etc. Certainly it’s important to find something that works for ourselves and our bodies, but the mental side gets a bit lost when finding the right goals, motivations, and mindset are critical to long-term success. Lots of folks want to lose weight and most folks are not failing because their physical method was bad.
I’m still very new at this, just 3 days in, and am only just beginning to learn my way around. I got fat sitting on my butt working from home at the computer, and drinking heaps of beer every day over the past two years. Now I have a six-pack lying in the fridge to remind me that it’s okay to have beer at home that doesn’t get guzzled down every time the fridge door opens. Yup, three days; that’s the longest any beer has lasted in this house for the past two years. Disgraceful!
AVOCADO VINAIGRETTE! I’m 6 months into OMADlite, and finding foods I enjoy have made this such a positive experience. I love salads, so for my first course I usually have a salad with “avocado vinaigrette” that I make myself. The avocado replaces the oil in traditional vinaigrettes. It goes as follows: 30 grams mashed avocado, 2 teaspoons vinegar or fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoon allulose, 1 clove crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I add in chili peppers. Its sweet and salty and sour. Goes really well on a salad with steak, salmon, chicken…even sardines lol.
My second course is protein oatmeal and it’s always the same. Cooked oats with a tiny bit of coconut flour. Pour in like 100 grams of egg whites and stir, add vanilla protein powder and an little salt, stir. Microwave an additional 20 seconds. Add blueberries and sugar free maple syrup. And SALT. needs salt or else you wont go all the way to Flavortown.
Oh man , for me it is a coffee in the morning and another cup of coffee in the afternoon then am at my eating window and most important thing is sleep early i love to sleep alot so i sleep 10 hr a day . I hope you guys achieve your goals this year
I might be a bit lucky, but I don’t like sweets all that much, haha. That helps.
But in all seriousness, I spent 5 years following a Paleo lifestyle without any time or amount of food limitation (at the time I didn’t fast). What really worked for me was understanding the science behind food, losing weight, metabolism, exercising, etc. I researched a lot and settle on Paleo as the best approach for me. I also looked into my genetics and noted that I was prone to certain things: obesity, heart and blood pressure issues. I never counted calories, and I chose exercises that aren’t necessarily efficient for weight lost - yoga and walking places instead of taking any transport, whenever possible. I got to a stable weight which was within the ideal level, and it really didn’t change for the longest time (homeostasis I believe it is called…?)
So what really kept me going was thinking about the lifestyle I wanted to adopt. I had my cheating days, but I didn’t even think too much about them because it became very natural to be consistent most of the other days.
Sadly, The Great Panini of 2019 messed me up emotionally so…we know how that ended. But getting back on that horse in 2022!
Research research research!I tried IF a year ago and lost 14# in 3 weeks… then gave up.
I spent that last 6 weeks of 2021 researching the benefits, strategies and science behind IF and building mindset. I feel so much more prepared this time around! There are some great youtube channels out there with fabulous guest speakers who really make it clear how and why it works!
Having a very involved morning routine that includes a lot of self care, exercise, prep for the day, etc. If possible, I try to schedule work meetings in the morning as well. I rarely notice the absence of food until afternoon, and it allows me to have breathing space at the end of the day while still being productive.
Also, Dram Apothecary sparkling waters. :)
Not having a bite of anything, at all, until it’s meal time. (One bite and I won’t be able to stop). Some days I prep food for the family and I dont even taste it, I wait until my window. I also been walking/jogging/hiking and I do all that in fasting mode. (Electrolytes always). 2 cups of coffee and 1 cup of matcha are in my routine.
I cook really really good food! I mix it up every week, but I typically take 30 minutes minimum to prepare my one meal, and typically slow cook a big piece of meat over the weekends that I use as a protein base for my meals.
With only having to worry about one main meal per day, that’s pretty sustainable for me
Hi there, in my opinion tracking your weight is very helpful. Put yourself on the scale everyday and look in the mirror. Ask yourself: “Are you satisfied with this body?”
Tracking works for example with a bullet journal where you write you weight into a table so you can see your progress on a long term. Also track your activity how many hours do you spent with sports or moving activities? Make pictures of yourself periodically, and take measures of your body parts.
Another way is to make a poster, with a curve diagram of your weight, put it on a wall in a room where you stay the most time when you are at home. ;D mine is next to a screen, so when you hang out in front of TV you get a friendly reminder of your goals. Extra motivation gives you a picture of yourself with your dissatisfying body.
I like to snack in the evening, so my advice, drink hot tee, without any sugar of course. The warm feeling in your stomach lowers your appetite.
I am doing mostly OMAD and sometimes a 16:8. The two things that have been critical are:
I quit all coffee and any non water beverages during my fast. It was hard at first but it has obliterated all cravings. I am never hungry anymore which was such a shock to me. I find the bitterness of coffee signals to my metabolism/body/liver that it’s time to start eating and wants me to eat something to balance it out. Once I quit drinking anything but water, I’ve seen insane improvements. Down 8lbs in 3 weeks.
In the beginning it’s absolutely critical for me to track my food in Myfittnesspal. This way I feel guilty if I were to log a donut/cookie/chips that are sitting out in the office break room. Or even during my evening meal, I will be more conscious about the fact that “spicy Mayo” (or any other addition) has a cost that will add up over time.
- I LOVE cauliflower rice! Flavor it how you like, low calorie, high fibre. Keeps me feeling full longer.
- Ingredient prep not meal prep. I boil eggs, fry shrimp and air fry chicken every weekend so I always have a lean protein on hand to make a quick meal.
- Learn to like black coffee or tea
- Drink lots of water
- Don’t worry about the odd day that you don’t adhere to your fast.